Refuge
by Lavenderangel
Summary: “That is the last time you ever touch me.” Missing scenes from Never Gonna Give you up. Terri pov. Complete.


Title: Reprieve Author: Lala Pairing: Slight Jimmy/Terri, because they would've been cute. Mostly just friendship; Terri/Hazel and Terri/Paige especially.  
Rating: PG Summary: "That is the last time you ever touch me." Missing scenes from Never Gonna Give you up. Complete Spoilers: Never Gonna Give You Up.  
Author's notes: I was disappointed we didn't see what happened after Terri broke up with Rick, so this was born. I don't have the ep on tape, so the small part of dialogue taken from the end of the episode was done from memory.  
Disclaimer: This is based on an episode of Degrassi: The next Generation, but 99 of this is mine. A small portion of dialogue has been taken from Never Gonna Give You Up, but the rest is mine. Mine, I tell you! Sorry, I'm in English and insanely board.

She doesn't know what to do. Her face hurts and she's shaking and scared. She should go inside but dad will be late and she doesn't want to be in there by herself. It would be easier for someone to sneak up on her that way.

She begins walking, almost numbly. She needs to tell someone. She needs help. Her first thought is her dad but she just can't do that to him. He's already lost her mother; he doesn't need to know his pathetic, fat screw up of a daughter has gotten herself into such a mess.

Ashley. They haven't been quite as close as they once were since grade eight, but Ashley at one point had been her best friend.

But no. She can't tell her either; she knows she'll just look down on her.

There has to be someone; there has to be somewhere she can go that will be safe.

And she has to think of it fast because it's cold and everywhere hurts and she just wants everything to be okay again. She needs everything to be okay again.

Hazel. The thought strikes her suddenly and she blinks in surprise. No, she won't do.

But she's her only hope. Hazel suspects, anyway. Terri just hopes she doesn't hate her too much.

She reaches her house after what seems like hours. She walks to the front door and knocks shakily. There's a pause and then the door's opening and warm air's hitting her and Hazel's standing there.

"Terri?" She appears shocked but doesn't sound mad and something breaks inside Terri.

"Haz-el…" A sob cuts her name in half. "I'm s-so so-rry…" The tears she wouldn't allow herself to cry choke her now, and she's unable to speak. To move. She can only stand in front of Hazel and pray that she won't send her away like they'd done with Ashley the year before.

"Terri…" Hazel's reaching out now, and Terri can't help flinching. Hazel makes an indistinguishable sound and keeps extending her hand slowly. She gently takes a hold of Terri's arm and pulls her inside. She guides her up the stairs, talking softly.

"It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. Ter, it's gonna be okay now." And she desperately wants to believe her words but can't. Because she can still feel a small trickle of blood making it's way down her face and her arm hurts and she's so cold.

"Hazel?" Paige is sitting on Hazel's bed and she jumps up in surprise. She hurries over and reaches to grasp Terri's arm and terror takes over.

Terri makes a strangled sound and jerks from Hazel's grasp. She runs from both of them but has nowhere to go. She collapses in a corner of Hazel's bedroom and shivers.

"Terri…" Hazel's standing over her then. She drops to her knees and puts her arms around Terri. And it's scary but feels so good just the same. And as she clings to Hazel, neither caring that her shirt's getting stained with blood, she finally feels safe enough to cry.

"Terri?" She jumps and sits up. It's a whisper but everything seems loud to her. Threatening.

"Paige?" She answers tentatively. Hazel's bedroom is so quiet it's almost unnerving. But everything's unnerving to her now. She's only been here a few hours, but it feels like an eternity. Hazel wanted her to go to the police, but she just couldn't. She just wants to pretend that nothing has happened; that Rick doesn't exist; and especially that he hadn't been her first kiss.

Only now does she realize that Paige was oddly silent as she and Hazel discussed Rick. She vaguely wonders why, but decides not to ask. She's just happy someone else is awake; she can't get him out of her head. Sleep is out of the question; who knows what he'd do to her there?

She hears a slight movement, and when Paige next speaks, she seems closer.

"I just um, was wondering if you were awake." Terri's not used to hearing Paige say "um." She's used to Paige being together; used to her being perfect; she's just used to her being Paige.

"Yeah I'm still awake."

"It's k-kinda hard sleeping after… ummm… I kind of know how you feel."

What…? What is she talking about? "Y-you know h-how I feel?"

"Well - kind of I mean I sort of went through - um… I… Yeah, I kinda know how you feel."

She's not sure, but Paige sounds like she's about to cry. The thought of Paige crying over something like this makes her start, for some reason.

"I-it's r-really hard sleeping," she manages.

"I k-know." Then Paige is right next to her and she struggles to make her out in the darkness which is even harder to do through tears.

"W-what do I d-do?" She doesn't like crying in front of Paige. She doesn't like Paige to know how weak she is; she's afraid Paige won't like her anymore if she sees her like this. But she can hear Paige's unsteady breathing close beside her, and Terri thinks, that just this once, it's okay to cry in front of her. Because Paige is hurting, too.

"I… I d-don't really know."

Neither say anything for a minute and then Terri feels Paige's arm come around her shoulders, slow an scared. And she expects to want to pull away, but she can feel the tension in Paige's body as they gradually move closer to one another, and she knows Paige can feel her shaking, so she lets the arm stay, hoping that shared fear can bring some kind of comfort.

And they cry silent tears and try to help each other.

She doesn't know what she's doing. She wants to forget about it but she can't. She sees him everywhere and she won't be able to try and bury him in her mind until she's sure he'll never come near her.

She knows she should go to the police, but she just can't. So she's doing the next best thing.

"Hey, Ter." Jimmy smiles at her. Just hearing a male voice makes her heart start racing.

"Um hi."

"How was your weekend?" They don't usually talk. They're sort of friends in the fact that they sit at the same table at lunch but nothing more. She's glad he's not asking her what she's doing talking to him, even though she knows he's thinking it.

"M-My weekend was…" Torture. Something she never wants to relive, and yet she knows she will forever. "My weekend was okay."

"Oh. Mine too."

Silence. Jimmy's looking at her now and he's starting to let his confusion show. "So I'll see you in class?"

"Um Jimmy? You know Rick he um he…"

She can't look at him and her throat's tight. She wants to run but he puts a hand on her shoulder and she flinches

"Terri?"

Breathe, she orders herself. The chattering students in the background are fading and the hall seems to be closing in and she needs to get away but she can't...

"Terri?"

"Y-yeah." Breathe breathe breathe.

"Terri, are you okay?"

"U-uh huh." Except not.

"What about Rick?" His voice hardens and she can feel her body react. "Did he do something to you?"

"K-kinda..." Her voice doesn't want to work and she wishes she'd never come over here and Jimmy's still touching her.

"What? I knew that guy was trouble. I'll..."

"J-Jimmy?" For a second she doesn't think he's heard her, the word comes out so quietly.

"What? Terri, what'd he do?"

"He um h-hit me. Can you just keep him away from me? P-Please?"

His hand tightens on her shoulder and just as quickly disappears. There's a second of silence when she can't look at anything.

"He hit you?" She can't quite place his tone of voice; angry, but not. Calm, somehow; maybe he's in shock.

"Y-yeah, he h-hit me." Saying it makes it real; palpable. But she's slowly accepting it; getting over it. He'd hit her; he wouldn't do it again. She wouldn't let him; she was stronger than that.

"I promise you, Terri, I'll keep him away from you. If that guy eve usg you again just tell me."

And she smiles and hugs him all of the sudden. She's scared but it's part of healing; she needs to like touch again.

"Thanks, Jimmy," she says after he pulls awkwardly away.

She goes to talk to Hazel, and even though it still hurts, it will go away. She knows that. She'll be okay again. 


End file.
